Electronic device and method for changing location of preview image according to direction of camera

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a first housing including a first face and a second face, a second housing including a third face and a fourth face, a folding part rotatably connecting the first housing and the second housing, a flexible display disposed on the first face and the third face, a camera exposed through at least a portion of the fourth face, a memory configured to store instructions, and a processor configured to determine an orientation of the electronic device and a direction in which the camera is pointed while a camera application is executed, identify the first area or the second area as an area in which a preview image acquired through the camera is displayed based at least on the determined direction and the determined orientation, and display the preview image, acquired through the camera, in the identified area using the flexible display.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser.No. 16/503,954, filed on Jul. 5, 2019, which application is based on andclaims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Korean patent applicationnumber 10-2018-0078649, filed on Jul. 6, 2018, in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to an electronic device for adaptively changingthe location of a preview image according to the direction of a cameraand an operation method thereof.

2. Description of Related Art

Electronic devices having a camera function, such as a smartphone, atablet personal computer (PC), and a smart watch, are being developed.Meanwhile, a foldable-type electronic device is being developed in orderto provide improved portability and to provide a wider-sized screen.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the disclosure. No determination hasbeen made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the disclosure.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure are to address at least the above-mentionedproblems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantagesdescribed below. Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure is to providean electronic device for adaptively changing the location of a previewimage according to the direction of a camera and an operation methodthereof.

A user of a portable electronic device is able to perform photographingin an uncomfortable posture in order to obtain images having variousviews. Therefore, a solution may be required in order to acquire imageshaving various views in a comfortable posture using a portableelectronic device.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

The technical subjects pursued in the disclosure may not be limited tothe above mentioned technical subjects, and other technical subjectswhich are not mentioned may be clearly understood, through the followingdescriptions, by those skilled in the art of the disclosure.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device includes a first housing including afirst face and a second face, the second face being a rear side of thefirst face, a second housing including a third face and a fourth face,the fourth face being a rear side of the third face, a folding partrotatably connecting the first housing and the second housing to eachother, a flexible display disposed on the first face and the third faceacross the folding part and including a first area corresponding to thefirst face and a second area corresponding to the third face, at leastone camera exposed through at least a portion of the fourth face, atleast one memory configured to store instructions, and at least oneprocessor, wherein the at least one processor may be configured, whenthe instructions are executed, to determine an orientation of theelectronic device and a direction in which the at least one camera ispointed while a camera application is executed, identify at least one ofthe first area or the second area as an area in which a preview imageacquired through the at least one camera is displayed based at least onthe determined direction and the determined orientation, and display thepreview image, acquired through the at least one camera, in theidentified area using the flexible display.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an electronicdevice is provided. The electronic device includes a first housingincluding a first face and a second face, the second face facing awayfrom the first face, a second housing including a third face and afourth face, the fourth face facing away from the third face, a foldingpart rotatably connecting a side face of the first housing and a sideface of the second housing, which faces the side face of the firsthousing, a flexible display disposed on the first face and the thirdface across the folding part and including a first area corresponding tothe first face and a second area corresponding to the third face, atleast one camera exposed through at least a portion of the fourth face,at least one memory configured to store instructions, and at least oneprocessor, wherein the at least one processor may be configured, whenthe instructions are executed, to determine a direction in which the atleast one camera is pointed while a camera application is executed, anddisplay a preview image, acquired through the at least one camera, inthe first area using the flexible display based on identification thatthe determined direction correspond to one of the multiple referencedirections.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, an electronicdevice is provided. The electronic device includes a first housingincluding a first face and a second face, the second face facing awayfrom the first face, a second housing including a third face and afourth face, the fourth face facing away from the third face, a foldingpart rotatably connecting a side face of the first housing and a sideface of the second housing, which faces the side face of the firsthousing, a flexible display disposed on the first face and the thirdface across the folding part and including a first area corresponding tothe first face and a second area corresponding to the third face, atleast one camera exposed through at least a portion of the fourth face,at least one memory configured to store instructions, and at least oneprocessor, wherein the at least one processor may be configured, whenthe instructions are executed, to identify whether a direction in whichthe at least one camera is pointed is changed while a preview imageacquired through the at least one camera is displayed in the second areausing the flexible display, and move the preview image from the secondarea to the first area using the flexible display in response to anidentification result.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method ofoperating an electronic device including a flexible display extendingacross a first housing and a second housing is provided. The methodincludes determining an orientation of the electronic device and adirection in which at least one camera, which is exposed through atleast a portion of the first housing of the electronic device, ispointed during execution of a camera application, identifying at leastone of the first area corresponding to the first housing or the secondarea corresponding to the second housing as an area in which a previewimage acquired through the at least one camera is displayed based atleast on the determined direction and the determined orientation, anddisplaying the preview image, acquired through the at least one camera,in the identified area.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method ofoperating an electronic device is provided. The method includesdetermining a direction in which at least one camera exposed through atleast a portion of the first housing of the electronic device is pointedduring execution of a camera application, and displaying a previewimage, acquired through the at least one camera, in a display areacorresponding to the second housing of the electronic device, which isdistinct from the first housing, among the entire display area of theflexible display of the electronic device on the basis of identifyingthat the determined direction corresponds to one of the multiplereference directions.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a method ofoperating an electronic device is provided. The method includesidentifying whether a direction in which at least one camera exposedthrough at least a portion of the first housing of the electronic deviceis pointed is changed while a preview image acquired through the atleast one camera is displayed in an area corresponding to the firsthousing among the total area of a flexible display of the electronicdevice, and moving the preview image from the area corresponding to thefirst housing to an area corresponding to the second housing of theelectronic device, which is distinct from the first housing, among theentire display area of the flexible display in response to anidentification result.

With an electronic device according to various embodiments and a methodof operating the same, it is possible to provide an improved userexperience by adaptively changing the location at which a preview imageis displayed depending on the direction in which a camera is pointed.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of front and rear views of a foldableelectronic device in an outspread state according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of orientations of an electronic devicerelated to a direction of at least one camera thereof according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of orientations of an electronic devicerelated to a positional relationship between a first housing and asecond housing thereof according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of orientations of an electronic devicerelated to a positional relationship between the ground and theelectronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a state of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrate an example of multiple icons displayed in a secondarea of a flexible display of an electronic device according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat changes an area in which a preview image is displayed according toan embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat is performed while a preview image is displayed in a first areaaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a function provided on the basis of aninput with respect to icons displayed in a second area according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates another example of a function provided on the basisof an input with respect to icons displayed in a second area accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates still another example of a function provided on thebasis of an input with respect to icons displayed in a second areaaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates another example of a function provided on the basisof an input with respect to icons displayed in a second area accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates another example of a function provided on the basisof an input with respect to icons displayed in a second area accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat displays a preview image using a display disposed on a second faceof a first housing according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 17 illustrates another example of an operation of an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat acquires an image after moving a preview image to a first areaaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbersare used to depict the same or similar elements, features, andstructures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thedisclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions andconstructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of thedisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of thedisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the disclosure as defined by the appended claims andtheir equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

In the disclosure, the expression “have”, “may have”, “include” or “mayinclude” refers to existence of a corresponding feature (e.g., numericalvalue, function, operation, or components such as elements), and doesnot exclude existence of additional features.

In the disclosure, the expression “A or B”, “at least one of A or/andB”, or “one or more of A or/and B” may include all possible combinationsof the items listed. For example, the expression “A or B”, “at least oneof A and B”, or “at least one of A or B” refers to all of (1) includingat least one A, (2) including at least one B, or (3) including all of atleast one A and at least one B.

The expression “a first”, “a second”, “the first”, or “the second” usedin various embodiments of the disclosure may modify various componentsregardless of the order and/or the importance but does not limit thecorresponding components. For example, a first user device and a seconduser device indicate different user devices although both of them areuser devices. For example, a first element may be termed a secondelement, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first elementwithout departing from the scope of the disclosure.

It should be understood that when an element (e.g., first element) isreferred to as being (operatively or communicatively) “connected,” or“coupled,” to another element (e.g., second element), it may be directlyconnected or coupled directly to the other element or any other element(e.g., third element) may be interposer between them. In contrast, itmay be understood that when an element (e.g., first element) is referredto as being “directly connected,” or “directly coupled” to anotherelement (second element), there are no element (e.g., third element)interposed between them.

As used herein, the expression “configured to” may be interchangeablyused with the expression “suitable for”, “having the capability to”,“designed to”, “adapted to”, “made to”, or “capable of”. The term“configured to” may not necessarily imply “specifically designed to” inhardware. Alternatively, in some situations, the expression “deviceconfigured to” may mean that the device, together with other devices orcomponents, “is able to”. For example, the phrase “processor adapted (orconfigured) to perform A, B, and C” may mean a dedicated processor(e.g., embedded processor) only for performing the correspondingoperations or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., Central Processing Unit(CPU) or Application Processor (AP)) that can perform the correspondingoperations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memorydevice.

The terms used in the disclosure are only used to describe specificembodiments, and are not intended to limit the disclosure. A singularexpression may include a plural expression unless they are definitelydifferent in a context. Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein,including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as thosecommonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which thedisclosure pertains. Such terms as those defined in a generally useddictionary may be interpreted to have the meanings equal to thecontextual meanings in the relevant field of art, and are not to beinterpreted to have ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearlydefined in the disclosure. In some cases, even the term defined in thedisclosure should not be interpreted to exclude embodiments of thedisclosure.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosuremay include at least one of, for example, a smart phone, a tabletPersonal Computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an electronicbook reader (e-book reader), a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a netbookcomputer, a workstation, a server, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), aPortable Multimedia Player (PMP), a Motion Pictures Experts Group(MPEG)-1 audio layer-3 (MP3) player, a mobile medical device, a camera,and a wearable device. According to various embodiments, the wearabledevice may include at least one of an accessory type (e.g., a watch, aring, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, a glasses, a contact lens, or aHead-Mounted Device (HMD)), a fabric or clothing integrated type (e.g.,electronic clothing), a body-mounted type (e.g., a skin pad, or tattoo),and a bio-implantable type (e.g., an implantable circuit).

According to some embodiments, the electronic device may be a homeappliance. The home appliance may include at least one of, for example,a television (TV), a Digital Video Disk (DVD) player, an audio, arefrigerator, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, a microwaveoven, a washing machine, an air cleaner, a set-top box, a homeautomation control panel, a security control panel, a TV box (e.g.,Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a game console (e.g.,Xbox™ and Play Station™), an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, acamcorder, and an electronic photo frame.

According to another embodiment, the electronic device may include atleast one of various medical devices (e.g., various portable medicalmeasuring devices (a blood glucose monitoring device, a heart ratemonitoring device, a blood pressure measuring device, a body temperaturemeasuring device, etc.), a Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA), aMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a Computed Tomography (CT) machine,and an ultrasonic machine), a navigation device, a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) receiver, an Event Data Recorder (EDR), a Flight DataRecorder (FDR), a Vehicle Infotainment Devices, an electronic devicesfor a ship (e.g., a navigation device for a ship, and a gyro-compass),avionics, security devices, an automotive head unit, a robot for home orindustry, an Automatic Teller's Machine (ATM) in banks, Point Of Sales(POS) in a shop, or internet device of things (e.g., a light bulb,various sensors, electric or gas meter, a sprinkler device, a firealarm, a thermostat, a streetlamp, a toaster, a sporting goods, a hotwater tank, a heater, a boiler, etc.).

According to some embodiments, the electronic device may include atleast one of a part of furniture or a building/structure, an electronicboard, an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, andvarious kinds of measuring instruments (e.g., a water meter, an electricmeter, a gas meter, and a radio wave meter). The electronic deviceaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure may be a combinationof one or more of the aforementioned various devices. The electronicdevice according to some embodiments may be a flexible electronic deviceor a foldable electronic device. Further, the electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure is not limited to theaforementioned devices, and may include a new electronic deviceaccording to the development of technology.

In the disclosure, the term “user” may indicate a person using anelectronic device or a device (e.g., an artificial intelligenceelectronic device) using an electronic device.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings. For convenience of explanation,components may be exaggerated or reduced in size in the drawings. Forexample, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawingsare arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, and thus thedisclosure is not necessarily limited to those illustrated in thedrawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of front and rear views of a foldableelectronic device in an outspread state according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, a foldable electronic device 100 according tovarious embodiments includes a first housing 110, a second housing 120,a folding part 130, a flexible display 140, at least one camera 150,and/or a display 160.

In various embodiments, the first housing 110 may include a first faceand a second face that faces away from the first face. In variousembodiments, the second housing 120 may include a third face and afourth face that faces away from the third face.

In various embodiments, the first housing 110 and the second housing 120may be connected by the folding part 130. For example, the folding part130 may be configured to be coupled to each of a side face of the firsthousing 110 and a side face of the second housing 120 that faces theside face of the first housing 110 so as to pivotally or rotatablyconnect the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 to each other.

The flexible display 140 may be disposed on the first housing 110 andthe second housing 120 across the folding part 130. In variousembodiments, the flexible display 140 may be configured to be supportedby the first housing 110 and the second housing 120. In variousembodiments, the flexible display 140 may be disposed on the first faceand the third face across the folding part 130. In various embodiments,the flexible display 140 may include a first area corresponding to thefirst face and a second area corresponding to the third face.

The foldable electronic device 100 according to various embodiments maybe folded on the basis of the folding part 130. For example, the foldingpart 130 may be disposed between the first housing 110 and the secondhousing 120 of the foldable electronic device 100 so as to allow thefoldable electronic device 100 to be bent, flexed, or folded. In variousembodiments, the first housing 110 may be connected to the secondhousing 120 through the folding part 130 so as to rotate about thefolding part 130. In various embodiments, the second housing 120 may beconnected to the first housing 110 through the folding part 130 so as torotate about the folding part 130. In various embodiments, the firsthousing 110 and the second housing 120 may be folded to face each otherby rotating about the folding part 130. In various embodiments, thefirst housing 110 and the second housing 120 may be substantiallysuperimposed or may overlap each other.

In various embodiments, the foldable electronic device 100 may provide afirst state in which the first housing 110 and the second housing 120are folded out by the folding part 130. In various embodiments, in thefirst state, the first face may be substantially flush with the thirdface. In various embodiments, the foldable electronic device 100 mayprovide the first state in which the first housing 110 and the secondhousing 120 are substantially flush with each other by being folded outabout the folding part 130. In various embodiments, the first state maybe the state in which, among the total area of the flexible display 140,all of a first area corresponding to the first face, a second areacorresponding to a third face, and a third area enclosing the foldingpart 130 are capable of being provided within the a field of view orangle of view of a user facing the front face of the foldable electronicdevice 100. In various embodiments, the first state may be referred toas an outspread state, or may be referred to as an unfolded state.

In various embodiments, the foldable electronic device 100 may provide asecond state in which the first housing 110 and the second housing 120are folded in by the folding part 130. In various embodiments, in thesecond state, the first face may be superimposed on the third face. Invarious embodiments, the foldable electronic device 100 may provide thesecond state in which the folding part 130 is folded such that the frontface (e.g., the first face) of the first housing 110 and the front face(e.g., the third face) of the second housing 120 face each other andthus the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 are disposed to beparallel to each other. In various embodiments, the second state may bethe state in which the flexible display 140 is hidden within a field ofview of the user facing the front face of the foldable electronic device100. In various embodiments, the second state may be referred to as afolded state.

In various embodiments, the flexible display 140 may be disposed on thefront face (e.g., the third face) of the second housing 120 across thefirst housing 110 and the folding part 130. According to someembodiments, the flexible display 140 may include a flexible touchscreen device that includes a touch sensor. According to variousembodiments, the flexible display 140 may include a touch sensor and aforce sensor. The foldable electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may be folded on the basis of the folding part 130. Theflexible display 140 is bendable by the operation folding of theelectronic device 100 because the flexible display 140 is disposed fromthe first housing 110 to the second housing 120 across the folding part130. For example, in the flexible display 140, unlike the first areadisposed on the first face of the first housing 110 and the second areadisposed on the third face of the second housing 120, the third areadisposed above the folding part 130 is bendable according to theoperation of folding the electronic device 100. In various embodiments,the third area may be curved and bent in order to prevent breakage ofthe flexible display 140.

In various embodiments, at least one of the first area and the secondarea may further include a curved area, such as the third area. Forexample, an end, which is located away from the center of the firsthousing 110, may include a round area. As another example, an end, whichis located away from the center of the second housing 120, may include around area. In various embodiments, the curved display area included inthe first area and the curved display area included in the second areaare disposed at the ends of the first housing 110 and the second housing120, respectively, and thus each of the curved display area may bereferred to as an edge display.

In various embodiments, at least one camera 150 may be exposed throughat least a portion of the rear face (e.g., the fourth face) of thesecond housing 120. In various embodiments, at least one camera 150 mayinclude multiple cameras having different characteristics. For example,the at least one camera 150 may include at least one telephoto cameraand at least one wide-angle camera. As another example, the at least onecamera 150 may include at least one monochrome camera for acquiring amonochrome image and at least one RGB camera for acquiring a colorimage. However, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In various embodiments, the display 160 may be exposed through at leasta portion of the rear face (e.g., the second face) of the first housing110.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of anelectronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Thisfunctional configuration may be included in the electronic device 100illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electronic device 100 may include a flexibledisplay 140, at least one camera 150, a display 160, at least oneprocessor 210, a memory 220, a first sensor 230, and/or a second sensor240.

The at least one processor 210 may control the overall operation of theelectronic device 100. The at least one processor 210 may executeapplications that provide advertisements, the Internet, games, videoimages, and the like. In various embodiments, the at least one processor210 may include a single processor core, or may include multipleprocessor cores. For example, the at least one processor 210 may includea multi-core processor such as a dual-core, quad-core, or hexa-coreprocessor. According to embodiments, the at least one processor 210 mayfurther include a cache memory located internally or externally.

The at least one processor 210 may receive instructions from othercomponents of the electronic device 100, may interpret the receivedinstructions, may perform calculations, or may process data according tothe interpreted instructions.

The at least one processor 210 may process data or signals produced orgenerated in an application. For example, the at least one processor 210may request instructions, data, or signals from memory 220 in order toexecute or control an application. The at least one processor 210 mayrecord (or store) or update instructions, data, or signals in the memory220 in order to execute or control an application.

The at least one processor 210 may be configured to interpret andprocess messages, data, instructions, or signals received from thememory 220, the flexible display 140, the at least one camera 150, thedisplay 160, the first sensor 230, or the second sensor 240. The atleast one processor 210 may produce new messages, data, instructions, orsignals on the basis of received messages, data, instructions, orsignals. The at least one processor 210 may provide processed orproduced message, data, instructions, or signals to the memory 220, theflexible display 140, the at least one camera 150, the display 160, thefirst sensor 230, or the second sensor 240.

All or a part of at least one processor 210 may be electrically orfunctionally coupled with or connected to other components within theelectronic device 300 (e.g., the memory 220, the flexible display 140,the at least one camera 150, the display 160, the first sensor 230, orthe second sensor 240).

According to embodiments, the at least one processor 210 may beconfigured with one or more processors. For example, the at least oneprocessor 210 may include at least one of an application processor (AP)that controls a higher-layer program such as an application, a graphicprocessing unit (GPU) that controls the display of at least one of theflexible display 140 and the display 160, or a communication processor(CP) that performs control for communication.

The memory 220 may store instructions, control instruction codes,control data, or user data for controlling the electronic device 100.For example, the memory 220 may include an application, an operatingsystem (OS), a middleware, and a device driver.

The memory 220 may include at least one of volatile memory andnonvolatile memory. The volatile memory may include dynamicrandom-access memory (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous DRAM(SDRAM), phase-change RAM (PRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM(RRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), and the like. The nonvolatile memorymay include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM),electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM(EEPROM), flash memory, and the like.

The memory 220 may be a nonvolatile medium such as a hard disk drive(HDD), a solid-state disk (SSD), an embedded multimedia card (eMMC), ora universal flash storage (UFS).

The flexible display 140 may output contents, data, or signals. Invarious embodiments, the flexible display 140 may display image dataprocessed by the at least one processor 210. For example, the flexibledisplay 140 may display a captured or still image. As another example,the flexible display 140 may display a video image or a camera previewimage. As another example, the flexible display 140 may display agraphical user interface (GUI) such that a user is able to interact withthe electronic device 100.

According to embodiments, the flexible display 140 may be configuredwith an integrated touch screen by being coupled with a touch sensorcapable of receiving a touch input and the like.

At least one camera 150 may capture a still image or a video image. Invarious embodiments, the at least one camera 150 may include one or morelenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor (ISP), or a flash. Invarious embodiments, the at least one camera 150 may be configured withmultiple cameras. When the at least one camera 150 is configured withmultiple cameras, the at least one camera 150 may include multiplecameras having different characteristics. For example, the at least onecamera 150 may include at least one telephoto camera and at least onewide-angle camera. As another example, the at least one camera 150 mayinclude at least one monochrome camera for acquiring a monochrome imageand at least one red, green, blue (RGB) camera for acquiring a colorimage. As another example, the at least one camera 150 may includemultiple cameras having different pixel numbers. However, the disclosureis not limited thereto.

The display 160 may output contents, data, or signals. In variousembodiments, the display 160 may display image data processed by the atleast one processor 210. For example, the display 160 may display acaptured or still image. As another example, the display 160 may displaya video image or a camera preview image. As another example, the display160 may display a graphical user interface (GUI) such that a user isable to interact with the electronic device 100.

According to embodiments, the display 160 may be configured with anintegrated touch screen by being coupled with a touch sensor capable ofreceiving a touch input or the like.

The first sensor 230 may acquire information on the orientation of theelectronic device 100. In various embodiments, the first sensor 230 mayinclude at least one of a sensor for acquiring data on a change in thelinear motion of the electronic device 100, a sensor for acquiring dataon a change in the rotational motion of the electronic device 100, and asensor for acquiring data about the geographical location of theelectronic device 100. For example, the first sensor 230 may include atleast one of a geomagnetic sensor, a gyro sensor, or an infrared sensor.

The second sensor 240 may obtain information about the angle between thefirst housing 110 and the second housing 120 of the electronic device100. In various embodiments, the second sensor 240 may acquireinformation on the angle between the first housing 110 and the secondhousing 120 of the electronic device 100 in order to provide informationon the states of the electronic device 100 (e.g., the first state andsecond state defined in FIG. 1). In various embodiments, the secondsensor 240 may be included within the folding part 130.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 may determine adirection in which the at least one camera 150 is pointed whileexecuting a camera application stored or installed in the electronicdevice 100. In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 maydetermine the direction in which the at least one camera 150 is pointedduring the execution of the camera application using the first sensor230. For example, the at least one processor 210 may determine thedirection in which the at least one camera 150 is pointed in order toidentify whether or not the at least one camera 150 is facing downwardor forward.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of orientations of an electronic devicerelated to the direction of at least one camera thereof according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, in a state 310, the direction in which the at leastone camera 150 is pointed may be changed with reference to the ground(or a reference direction) according to the motion state (or the user'smanipulation) of the electronic device 100. For example, when theorientation of the electronic device 100 is formed as an attitude A ofthe state 310, the angle between the direction of the at least onecamera 150 and the ground (or the reference direction) may be 0 degreesas shown in a graph 320. As another example, when the orientation of theelectronic device 100 is formed as an attitude B of the state 310, theangle between the direction of the at least one camera 150 and theground (or the reference direction) may be −90 degrees as shown in thegraph 320. As another example, when the orientation of the electronicdevice 100 is formed as an attitude C of the state 310, the anglebetween the direction of the at least one camera 150 and the ground (orthe reference direction) may be 180 degrees. As another example, whenthe orientation of the electronic device 100 is formed as an attitude Dof the state 310, the angle between the direction of the at least onecamera 150 and the ground (or the reference direction) may be 90degrees.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 may display apreview image, acquired through the at least one camera 150, in thefirst area corresponding to the first face of the first housing usingthe flexible display 140 on the basis of identifying that the determineddirection corresponds to one of multiple reference directions. Invarious embodiments, the multiple reference directions may be defined orconfigured in the electronic device 100 in order to identify whether theat least one camera 150 faces downward.

For example, referring to FIG. 3, as shown in the graph 320, themultiple reference directions may be configured with directionscorresponding to angles from −Φ from to −Φ−ψ. For example, when theangle between the direction in which the at least one camera 150 ispointed and the ground is within a range between −Φ−ψ and −Φ, the atleast one processor 210 may determine that the determined directioncorresponds to one of the multiple reference directions. As anotherexample, when the angle between the direction in which the at least onecamera 150 is pointed and the ground is out of the above-mentionedrange, the at least one processor 210 may determine that the determineddirection is different from all of the multiple reference directions.

In various embodiments, when an image is acquired in the state in whichthe direction in which the at least one camera 150 is pointedcorresponds to one of the multiple reference directions, the acquiredimage may be an aerial view or a bird's eye view. When the at least onecamera 150 is pointed in a direction corresponding to one of themultiple reference directions, the at least one processor 210 accordingto various embodiments is capable of displaying a preview image in thefirst area corresponding to the first housing 110 distinguished from thesecond housing 120 in which the at least one camera 150 is disposed, sothat the user is capable of performing photography in a more comfortableposture. In other words, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments is capable of providing an enhanced user experience byadaptively changing the display location of the preview image accordingto the direction in which the at least one camera 150 is pointed.

In various embodiments, when the angle between the first housing 110 andthe second housing 120 is within a specified range and the direction ofthe at least one camera 150 corresponds to one of the referencedirections, the at least one processor 210 may display a preview imageobtained through the at least one camera 150 in the first area using theflexible display 140. In various embodiments, the at least one processor210 may acquire or determine information about the angle between thefirst housing 110 and the second housing 120 using the second sensor240. In various embodiments, the specified range may be defined orconfigured in the electronic device 100 in order to identify whether thestate of the electronic device 100 is the first state or the secondstate defined in the description made with reference to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of orientations of an electronic devicerelated to a positional relationship between a first housing and asecond housing thereof according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, since the first housing 110 and the second housing120 are rotatably connected to each other via the folding part 130 as ina state 410, the electronic device 100 may have various orientationsdepending on the angle between the first housing 110 and the secondhousing 120. The angle between the first housing 110 and the secondhousing 120 may be defined as shown in a graph 420. In variousembodiments, the first state may be the state in which the angle betweenthe first housing 110 and the second housing 120 is out of the specifiedrange (e.g., ranging from Φ to 180 (degrees) in the graph 420). Invarious embodiments, the second state may be the state in which theangle between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 is in thespecified range (e.g., ranging from 0 to Φ (degrees) in the graph 420).In various embodiments, when the at least one camera 150 of theelectronic device 100 in the second state is oriented in a directioncorresponding to one of the multiple reference directions, the at leastone processor 210 may display the preview image in the first area. Whenthe at least one camera 150 in the second state is oriented in adirection corresponding to one of the multiple reference directions, theelectronic device 100 may display the preview image in the first area,so that the user is capable of performing photography in a morecomfortable posture. In other words, while in a specified state (e.g.,the second state), the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments is capable of providing an enhanced user experience byadaptively changing the display location of the preview image dependingon the direction in which the at least one camera 150 is pointed.

In various embodiments, when the electronic device 100 is in anorientation for photographing a landscape and the at least one camera150 is oriented in a direction corresponding to one of the multiplereference directions, the at least one processor 210 may display apreview image, acquired through the at least one camera 150, in thefirst area using the flexible display 140. In various embodiments, theat least one processor 210 may determine whether the electronic device100 has an orientation for photographing a landscape or an orientationfor photographing a portrait using the first sensor 230. In variousembodiments, the orientation for photographing a landscape and theorientation for photographing a portrait may be defined or configured inthe electronic device 100 on the basis of the angle between the secondhousing 120 (or the first housing 110) and the ground.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of orientations of an electronic devicerelated to a positional relationship between the ground and theelectronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, in a state 510, the electronic device 100 may havevarious orientations depending on the angle between a line 515 extendingalong the second housing 120 and the ground. For example, when theelectronic device 100 has an orientation A, the angle between the line515 and the ground may be configured to be zero, as shown in a graph520. For example, when the electronic device 100 has an orientation B,the angle between the line 515 and the ground may be configured to be−90 degrees, as shown in the graph 520. In another example, when theelectronic device 100 has an orientation C, the angle between the line515 and the ground may be configured to be 180 degrees, as shown in thegraph 520. In another example, when the electronic device 100 has anorientation D, the angle between the line 515 and the ground may beconfigured to be 90 degrees, as shown in the graph 520.

In various embodiments, the orientation for photographing a landscapemay be defined as the state in which the angle between the line 515 andthe face of the earth is in a first specified range (e.g., ranging fromΦ−ψ to Φ (degrees) in the graph 520) and/or in a second specified range(e.g., ranging from −Φ−ψ₃ to Φ+ψ₃+ψ₂ (degrees)). In various embodiments,the orientation for photographing a portrait may be defined as the statein which the angle between the line 515 and the ground is in a thirdspecified range (e.g., ranging from Φ to Φ+ψ₃ (degrees) in the graph520) and/or a fourth specified range (e.g., ranging from Φ+ψ₃+ψ₂ toΦ+ψ₃+ψ₂+ψ₁ (degrees) in the graph 520). In various embodiments, when theat least one camera 150 of the electronic device 100 is oriented tophotograph a landscape is pointed in a direction corresponding to one ofthe multiple reference directions, the at least one processor 210 maydisplay the preview image in the first area. When the at least onecamera 150 is pointed in a direction corresponding to one of themultiple reference directions in the state in which the electronicdevice 100 is oriented to photograph a landscape, the electronic device100 may display the preview image in the first area, so that the user iscapable of performing photography in a more comfortable posture. Inother words, while in a specified orientation (e.g., the orientation forphotographing a landscape), the electronic device 100 according tovarious embodiments is capable of providing an enhanced user experienceby adaptively changing the display location of the preview imagedepending on the direction in which the at least one camera 150 ispointed.

In various embodiments, when the at least one camera 150 is oriented ina direction corresponding to one of the multiple reference directionswhile the electronic device 100 in the second state is oriented tophotograph a landscape, the at least one processor 210 may display apreview image in the first area corresponding to the first housing 110,which is distinct from the second housing 120 in which the at least onecamera 150 is disposed.

In various embodiments, on the basis of identifying that the determineddirection of the at least one camera 150 is different from the multiplereference directions, the at least one processor 210 may display apreview image, acquired through the at least one camera 150, in thesecond area different from the first area using the flexible display140. For example, on the basis of identifying that the direction of theat least one camera 150 of the electronic device 100 in the second stateis different from the multiple reference directions, the at least oneprocessor 210 may display the preview image in the second area. Asanother example, on the basis of identifying that the direction of theat least one camera 150 of the electronic device 100 is oriented tophotograph a landscape is different from the multiple referencedirections, the at least one processor 210 may display the preview imagein the second area. As another example, on the basis of identifying thatthe at least one camera 150 is oriented in a direction different fromall of the multiple reference directions while the electronic device 100in the second state is oriented to photograph the landscape, the atleast one processor 210 may display the preview image in the secondarea.

In various embodiments, while the preview image is being displayed inthe first area, the at least one processor 210 may display a captureicon for acquiring an image for the preview image in the second areausing the flexible display 140. When the at least one camera 150 of theelectronic device 100 in the second state is oriented in a directioncorresponding to one of the multiple reference directions, the user mayfeel more comfortable when gripping a portion of the first housing 110rather than gripping a portion of the second housing 120. In order toallow the user to perform photographing in the convenient state, the atleast one processor 210 may display a capture icon for acquiring animage for the preview image in the second area corresponding to thesecond housing 120 while the preview image is being displayed in thefirst area corresponding to the first housing 110.

In various embodiments, in response to reception of input for thecapture icon, the at least one processor 210 may acquire the image forthe preview image and may store the acquired image. In variousembodiments, in response to acquisition of the image, the at least oneprocessor 210 may display a thumbnail image for representing theacquired image in the second image using the flexible display 140. Invarious embodiments, the thumbnail image may be displayed together withthe capture icon.

In various embodiments, while the preview image is being displayed inthe first area, the second area may further include other icons, whichare distinct from the capture. For example, the second area may includeat least one of: at least one first icon for selecting a type of theimage to be acquired (e.g., a video image or a still image); at leastone second icon for selecting an effect to be applied to the image to beacquired (e.g., a filter option icon), at least one third icon foradjusting the magnification of the image to be acquired; at least onefourth icon for selecting the direction of a camera to be used foracquiring an image; at least one fifth icon for determining whether ornot to output flash when acquiring an image; or at least one thumbnailimage for representing each of one or more most recently acquiredimages.

In various embodiments, on the basis of receiving an input for an iconincluded in the second area, the at least one processor 210 may performa function corresponding to the icon of the received input. For example,in response to reception of input for the at least one second icon(e.g., a filter option icon) while the preview image is being displayedin the first area, the at least one processor 210 may display othermultiple preview images, which are distinct from the preview image whichis being displayed in the first image, in the second area. In variousembodiments, the size of each of the other multiple preview images maybe smaller than that of the preview image, which is being displayed inthe first area. In various embodiments, the content of each of the othermultiple preview images may correspond to the content of the previewimage, which is being displayed in the first area. In variousembodiments, some of the other multiple preview images may be acquiredon the basis of applying a corresponding filter effect to the previewimage (or the image to be acquired).

In various embodiments, in response to reception of input for selectingone preview image among the other multiple preview images, which arebeing displayed in the second area, the at least one processor 210 maydisplay the selected preview image, which is being displayed in thesecond area, in a highlighted form using the flexible display 140, andmay change the preview image, which is being displayed in the firstarea, to the selected preview image. The size of the selected previewimage, which is displayed in the first area after the change maycorrespond to the size of the preview image, which was displayed in thefirst area before the change. The selected preview image, which isdisplayed in the first area after the change may be an image obtained byapplying a filter effect to the preview image, which was displayed inthe first area before the change.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 may detect a facefrom an image, which is being acquired through the at least one camera150. In various embodiments, on the basis of detecting the face from theimage, the at least one processor 210 may display a preview image forthe image, which is acquired through the at least one camera 150, usingthe display 160, which is distinct from the flexible display 140 and isexposed through at least one of the first housing 110 and the secondhousing 120. The electronic device 100 according to various embodimentsmay provide a preview image within a field of view of a user, whocaptures a selfie using the at least one camera 150 (e.g., the rearcamera) having higher quality, by displaying the preview image throughthe display 160. In other words, in order to provide an enhanced userexperience to the user who captures a selfie using the at least onecamera 150, the electronic device 100 according to various embodimentsmay display the preview image using the display, which is distinct fromthe flexible display 140. In order to allow another user who isdifferent from the user who performs the photographing using theelectronic device 100 (i.e., the subject of the image to be acquired) tocheck the composition of the image to be acquired, the electronic device100 according to various embodiments may display a preview image,acquired through the at least one camera, through the display 160. Inother words, in order to provide an enhanced user experience to theother user who is to be included in an image acquired using the at leastone camera 150, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may display the preview image using the display 160, whichis distinct from the flexible display 140.

In various embodiments, on the basis of detecting a face from an imageacquired through the at least one camera 150 of the electronic device100, which is in the first orientation, the at least one processor 210may display a preview image for the image, acquired through the at leastone camera, using the display 160.

As described above, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may provide an enhanced user experience by changing thedisplay location of the preview image on the basis of at least one ofthe orientation of the electronic device 100, the state of theelectronic device 100, or the direction in which the at least one camera150 of the electronic device 100 is pointed.

An electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 100) according tovarious embodiments may include: a first housing (e.g., the firsthousing 110) including a first face and a second face, which is a rearside of the first face; a second housing (e.g., the second housing 120)including a third face and a fourth face, which is a rear side of thethird face; a folding part (e.g., the folding part 130) rotatablyconnecting the first housing and the second housing to each other; aflexible display (e.g., the flexible display 140) disposed on the firstface and the third face across the folding part and including a firstarea corresponding to the first face and a second area corresponding tothe third face; at least one camera (e.g., the at least one camera 150)exposed through at least a portion of the fourth face; at least onememory (e.g., the memory 220) configured to store instructions; and atleast one processor (e.g., the at least one processor 210), wherein theat least one processor may be configured, when the instructions areexecuted, to: determine an orientation of the electronic device and adirection in which the at least one camera is pointed while a cameraapplication is executed; identify at least one of the first area and thesecond area as an area in which a preview image acquired through the atleast one camera is displayed based at least on the determined directionand the determined orientation; and display the preview image in theidentified area using the flexible display.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be configured,when the instructions are executed, to: identify a direction of the atleast one camera relative to a ground based on the determined directionand the determined orientation; display a preview image in the firstarea using the flexible display based on identifying that the directionof the at least one camera relative to the ground corresponds to a firstdirection; and display the preview image in the second area using theflexible display based on identifying that the direction of the at leastone camera relative to the ground corresponds to a second direction,which is distinct from the first direction. In various embodiments, theat least one processor may be further configured, when the instructionsare executed, to: display a capture icon for acquiring an image for thepreview image in the second area using the flexible display while thepreview image is being displayed in the first area, and acquire theimage in response to reception of input for the capture icon. In variousembodiments, the at least one processor may be further configured, whenthe instructions are executed, to display a thumbnail image forrepresenting the image in the second area using the flexible display inresponse to acquisition of the image. In various embodiments, the atleast one processor may be further configured, when the instructions areexecuted, to display at least one of: at least one first icon forselecting a type of the image, at least one second icon for selecting aneffect to be applied to the image, or at least one third icon foradjusting the magnification of the image, together with the capture iconusing the flexible display. For example, the at least one second iconmay include a filter option icon for selecting an image filter to beapplied to the image, and the at least one processor may be configured,when the instructions are executed, to: receive an input for the filteroption icon while the preview image is being displayed in the firstarea; display other multiple preview images, which are distinct from thepreview image, displayed in the first area, in the second area using theflexible display in response to reception of the input for the filteroption icon, each of the other multiple preview images being acquiredbased on applying a corresponding filter effect to the image; anddisplay the selected preview image, which is being displayed in thesecond area, in a highlighted form using the flexible display and changethe preview image, which is being displayed in the first area, to theselected preview image in response to reception of input for selectingone preview image among the other multiple preview images.

In various embodiments, the first direction may be substantiallyperpendicular to the second direction.

In various embodiments, the folding part may include at least one sensorconfigured to acquire information on an angle between the first housingand the second housing, and the at least one processor may beconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: identify the anglebetween the first housing and the second housing, which is detectedusing the at least one sensor; and identify at least one of the firstarea and the second area as an area in which a preview image acquiredthrough the at least one camera is displayed based at least on each ofthe determined direction and the determined orientation.

In various embodiments, the electronic device may further include atleast one sensor to be used for detecting an orientation of theelectronic device, the at least one sensor being disposed inside atleast one of the first housing and the second housing, and the at leastone processor may be configured, when the instructions are executed, to:determine the orientation of the electronic device and the direction inwhich the at least one camera is pointed using the at least one sensor.

In various embodiments, the determined orientation may correspond to anorientation for acquiring an image for a landscape.

As described above, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device100) may include: a first housing (e.g., the first housing 110)including a first face and a second face, which faces away from thefirst face; a second housing (e.g., the second housing 120) including athird face and a fourth face, which faces away from the third face; afolding part (e.g., the folding part 130) rotatably connecting a sideface of the first housing and a side face of the second housing, whichfaces the first housing, to each other; a flexible display (e.g., theflexible display 140) disposed on the first face and the third faceacross the folding part and including a first area corresponding to thefirst face and a second area corresponding to the third face; at leastone camera (e.g., the at least one camera 150) exposed through at leasta portion of the fourth face; at least one memory (e.g., the memory 220)configured to store instructions; and at least one processor (e.g., theat least one processor 210), wherein the at least one processor may beconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: determine adirection in which the at least one camera is pointed while the cameraapplication is executed; and display a preview image, acquired throughthe at least one camera, in the first area using the flexible display onthe basis of identifying that the determined direction corresponds toone of the multiple reference directions.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: display the previewimage, acquired through the at least one camera, in the second areausing the flexible display on the basis of identifying that thedetermined direction is different from the multiple referencedirections.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: display a captureicon for acquiring an image for the preview image, in the second areausing the flexible display while the preview image is being displayed inthe first area, and acquire the image in response to reception of inputfor the capture icon. In various embodiments, the at least one processormay be further configured, when the instructions are executed, todisplay a thumbnail image for representing the image in the second areausing the flexible display in response to acquisition of the image. Invarious embodiments, the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to display at least oneof: at least one first icon for selecting a type of the image, at leastone second icon for selecting an effect to be applied to the image, orat least one third icon for adjusting the magnification of the image,together with the capture icon using the flexible display. For example,the at least one second icon may include a filter option icon forselecting an image filter to be applied to the image, and the at leastone processor may be configured, when the instructions are executed, to:receive an input for the filter option icon while the preview image isbeing displayed in the first area; display other multiple previewimages, which are distinct from the preview image displayed in the firstarea, in the second area using the flexible display in response toreception of the input for the filter option icon, each of the othermultiple preview images being acquired based on applying each filtereffect to the image; and display the selected preview image, which isbeing displayed in the second area, in a highlighted form using theflexible display and change the preview image, which is being displayedin the first area, to the selected preview image in response toreception of input for selecting one preview image among the othermultiple preview images.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be configured,when the instructions are executed, to identify that the determineddirection corresponds to one of the multiple reference directions byidentifying that the angle between the determined direction and thereference direction is within a reference range.

In various embodiments, the folding part may include at least one sensor(e.g., the second sensor 240) configured to acquire information on anangle between the first housing and the second housing, and the at leastone processor may be configured, when the instructions are executed, to:identify whether the angle between the first housing and the secondhousing, which is detected using the at least one sensor is within aspecified range; and display the preview image, acquired through the atleast one camera, in the first area using the flexible display on thebasis of identifying that the determined direction corresponds to one ofthe multiple reference directions.

In various embodiments, the electronic device may further include atleast one sensor (e.g., the first sensor 230) used for detecting theorientation of the electronic device and disposed inside at least one ofthe first housing and the second housing, and the at least one processormay be configured, when the instructions are executed, to: determine adirection in which the at least one camera is pointed using the at leastone sensor; identify whether the orientation of the electronic devicedetected using the at least one sensor corresponds to one of multiplespecified orientations; and display the preview image, acquired throughthe at least one camera, in the first area using the flexible display onthe basis of identifying that the determined direction corresponds toone of the multiple reference directions. For example, each of themultiple specified orientations may correspond to an orientation foracquiring an image for a landscape. As another example, the at least onesensor may include at least one of a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor,or an infrared sensor.

In various embodiments, the electronic device may further include adisplay (e.g., the display 160) exposed through at least a portion ofthe second face, and the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to detect a face from animage acquired through the at least one camera; and display a previewimage for the image, acquired through the at least one camera, using thedisplay on the basis of identifying that the orientation of theelectronic device, which is detected through the at least one sensor, isdifferent from the multiple specified orientations.

As described above, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device100) may include: a first housing (e.g., the first housing 110)including a first face and a second face, which faces away from thefirst face; a second housing (e.g., the second housing 120) including athird face and a fourth face, which faces away from the third face; afolding part (e.g., the folding part 130) rotatably connecting a sideface of the first housing and a side face of the second housing, whichfaces the first housing, to each other; a flexible display (e.g., theflexible display 140) disposed on the first face and the third faceacross the folding part and including a first area corresponding to thefirst face and a second area corresponding to the third face; at leastone camera (e.g., the at least one camera 150) exposed through at leasta portion of the fourth face; at least one memory (e.g., the memory 220)configured to store instructions; and at least one processor (e.g., theat least one processor 210), wherein the at least one processor may beconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: identify whether adirection in which the at least one camera is pointed is changed while apreview image acquired through the at least one camera is displayed inthe second area using the flexible display; and move the preview imagefrom the second area to the first area using the flexible display inresponse to an identification result.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be configured,when the instructions are executed, to: identify whether a direction inwhich the at least one camera is pointed is changed in the state inwhich the angle between the first housing and the second housing iswithin a specified range while the preview image is being displayed inthe second area using the flexible display; and move the preview imagefrom the second area to the first area using the flexible display inresponse to an identification result. For example, the preview image maybe maintained in the first area when it is identified that the directionin which the at least one camera is pointed is changed in the state inwhich the angle between the first housing and the second housing is outof the specified range.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be configured,when the instructions are executed, to: identify whether the directionin which the at least one camera is pointed is changed from a firstdirection, which is different from the multiple reference directions toa second direction, which corresponds to one of the multiple referencedirections while the preview image is being displayed in the second areausing the flexible display; and move the preview image from the secondarea to the first area using the flexible display in response to anidentification result.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: display a captureicon for acquiring an image for the preview image, in the second area inresponse to moving the preview image to the first area; and acquire theimage in response to reception of input for the capture icon.

In various embodiments, the electronic device may further include atleast one sensor (e.g., the first sensor 230) used for detecting theorientation of the electronic device and disposed inside at least one ofthe first housing and the second housing, and the at least one processormay be configured, when the instructions are executed, to: identifywhether a direction in which the at least one camera is pointed ischanged in the state in which the orientation of the electronic devicecorresponds to one of the multiple orientations; and move the previewimage from the second area to the first area using the flexible displayin response to an identification result. For example, the preview imagemay be maintained in the first area when it is identified that thedirection in which the at least one camera is pointed is changed in thestate in which the orientation of the electronic device is differentfrom the multiple specified orientations.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor may be furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to display multipleitems for photographing, in the second area after the preview image ismoved to the first area.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure. Such an operation may beperformed by the electronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, theelectronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 2, or the at least oneprocessor 210 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 6, in operation 601, the at least one processor 210may determine the direction in which the at least one camera 150 ispointed during the execution of a camera application. In variousembodiments, the execution of the camera application may be initiated byvarious methods. For example, the execution of the camera applicationmay be initiated in response to reception of input on an icon forrepresenting the camera application. As another example, the executionof the camera application may be initiated in response to reception of aspecified input on a physical button included in the electronic device100 (e.g., single-tap or double-tap). In another example, the executionof the camera application may be initiated in response to detection of auser's gesture for repeatedly changing the angle between the firsthousing 110 and the second housing 120 (e.g., a gesture of repeating anoperation of unfolding and folding the electronic device 100 twice). Inanother example, the execution of the camera application may beinitiated in response to reception of a specified voice signal (e.g.,“Bixby, run the camera function”). However, the disclosure is notlimited thereto.

In various embodiments, when the capacity of a rechargeable batteryincluded in the electronic device 100 is below a threshold, the at leastone processor 210 may activate the first sensor 230 in response to theexecution of the camera application, and may monitor the direction inwhich the at least one camera 150 is pointed using the activated firstsensor 230.

In operation 603, the at least one processor 210 may identify whetherthe monitored direction corresponds to one of the multiple referencedirections. In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 mayidentify whether the monitored direction corresponds to one of themultiple reference directions using various methods. For example, the atleast one processor 210 may identify whether the monitored directioncorresponds to one of the multiple reference directions by identifyingwhether the angle between the monitored direction and the referencedirection is in a reference range (e.g., ranging from an angle −Φ−ψ toan angle −Φ in the graph 320 in FIG. 3).

In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 may recognizethat at least one camera 150 faces the ground on the basis ofidentifying that the monitored direction corresponds to one of themultiple reference directions.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a state of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7, the at least one processor 210 may recognize thatat least one camera 150 is directed downward as in a state 710 on thebasis of identifying that the monitored direction corresponds to one ofthe multiple reference directions. In other words, on the basis ofidentifying that the monitored direction corresponds to one of themultiple reference directions, the at least one processor 210 mayrecognize that the intension of the user is to acquire a photographhaving an aerial view using the at least one camera 150.

In operation 605, on the basis of the identification described above,the at least one processor 210 may display a preview image, acquiredthrough the at least one camera 150, in the first area among the totalarea of the flexible display 140. The electronic device 100 according tovarious embodiments may provide an enhanced user experience bydisplaying the preview image in the first area. For example, referringto FIG. 7, when the electronic device 100 is in the state 710, the atleast one processor 210 may display the preview image in the first areainstead of displaying the preview image in the second area such that theuser is capable of capturing an image having an aerial view in a morecomfortable posture.

In various embodiments, when another state 730, which is distinct fromthe state 710, exists, the at least one processor 210 may display thepreview image in the second area, which is distinct from the first area.For example, while the electronic device 100 is in the state 730, the atleast one processor 210 may display the preview image in the second areainstead of displaying the preview image in the first area such that theuser is capable of checking the preview image more conveniently.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 may display thepreview image in an area including the first area and the second area.

In various embodiments, the at least one processor 210 may control aremaining area among the entire display area on the basis of variousmethods while the preview image is being displayed in a partial area(e.g., the first area or the second area) among the entire display areaof the flexible display 140.

For example, the at least one processor 210 may switch the state of thesecond area (or the first area) to an inactive state while the previewimage is being displayed in the first area (or the second area). Invarious embodiments, the inactive state may be the state in which powersupply to the pixels corresponding to the second area (or the firstarea) is restricted. In various embodiments, the inactive state may bethe state in which a black screen is displayed in the second area (orthe first area). In some embodiments, even if the state of the secondarea (or the first area) is switched to the inactive state, the touchsensor corresponding to the second area (or the first area) may be inthe active state. The at least one processor 210 may receive an inputusing the touch sensor corresponding to the second area (or the firstarea) and in the active state, and may perform a function correspondingto the received input (e.g., acquisition of an image, a zoom-infunction, or a zoom-out function).

FIG. 8 illustrate an example of multiple icons displayed in a secondarea of a flexible display of an electronic device according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 8, the at least one processor 210 may displayinformation, which is distinct from the preview image, in the secondarea (or the first area) while the preview image is being displayed inthe first area (or the second area). For example, referring to FIG. 8,the at least one processor 210 may display at least one visual objectrelated to image acquisition, in the second area (or the first area)while the preview image is being displayed in the first area (or thesecond area). For example, the at least one processor 210 may display acapture icon 801 in the second area (or the first area) while thepreview image is being displayed in the first area (or the second area).As another example, the at least one processor 210 may display arecording icon 802 for acquiring a video image in the second area (orthe first area) while the preview image is being displayed in the firstarea (or the second area). As another example, the at least oneprocessor 210 may display a camera switch icon 803 for changing thecamera to be used for photographing from the at least one camera 150 toanother camera (e.g., the front camera), in the second area (or thefirst area) while the preview image is being displayed in the first area(or the second area). As another example, the at least one processor 210may display a flash icon 804 for selecting whether to activate the flashfunction, in the second area (or the first area) while the preview imageis being displayed in the first area (or the second area). As anotherexample, the at least one processor 210 may display a timer icon 805 forselecting the length of a timer for automatic photographing in thesecond area (or the first area) while the preview image is beingdisplayed in the first area (or the second area). As another example,the at least one processor 210 may display a filter option icon 806 forapplying a filter effect to an image to be acquired in the second area(or the first area) while the preview image is being displayed in thefirst area (or the second area). As another example, the at least oneprocessor 210 may display a magnification adjustment icon 807 forapplying the magnification of an image to be acquired in the second area(or the first area) while the preview image is being displayed in thefirst area (or the second area). As another example, the at least oneprocessor 210 may display at least one thumbnail image 808 forrepresenting at least one recently acquired image in the second area (orthe first area) while the preview image is being displayed in the firstarea (or the second area). However, the disclosure is not limitedthereto.

As described above, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may recognize whether the at least one camera 150 faces thefront side or faces the ground, and may adaptively change the area inwhich the preview image is displayed depending on the recognized result.Through the change, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments is capable of providing an enhanced user experience.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat changes an area in which a preview image is displayed according toan embodiment of the disclosure. Such an operation may be performed bythe electronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic device100 illustrated in FIG. 2, or the at least one processor 210 illustratedin FIG. 2.

Operations 901 to 909 of FIG. 9 may be related to operation 603 andoperation 605 of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 901, the at least one processor 210may identify whether the orientation of the electronic device 100corresponds to one of the multiple reference directions. In variousembodiments, the multiple specified orientations may be used to identifywhether the electronic device 100 has an orientation for photographing alandscape. For example, the at least one processor 210 may recognizethat the electronic device 100 has an orientation for photographing alandscape on the basis of identifying that the orientation of theelectronic device 100 corresponds to one of the multiple specifiedorientations. As another example, the at least one processor 210 mayrecognize that the electronic device 100 has an orientation forphotographing a portrait on the basis of identifying that theorientation of the electronic device 100 is different from all of themultiple specified orientations.

In operation 903, the at least one processor 210 may identify whetherthe angle between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 iswithin a specified range. In various embodiments, the specified rangemay be used in order to identify whether the electronic device 100 is inthe first state or in the second state. For example, the at least oneprocessor 210 may recognize that the electronic device 100 is in thesecond state on the basis of identifying that the angle between thefirst housing 110 and the second housing 120 is within the specifiedrange. As another example, the at least one processor 210 may recognizethat the electronic device 100 is in the first state on the basis ofidentifying that the angle between the first housing 110 and the secondhousing 120 is out of the specified range.

In operation 905, the at least one processor 210 may identify whetherthe monitored direction of the at least one camera 150 corresponds toone of the multiple reference directions. When it is identified that themonitored direction corresponds to one of the multiple referencedirections, the at least one processor 210 may perform operation 907.Unlike this, when it is identified that the monitored direction isdifferent from all of the multiple reference directions, the at leastone processor 210 may perform operation 909.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example in which the at least one processor 210performs operation 905 after performing operation 901 and operation 903,but this is for convenience of description. For example, according toembodiments, the order of performing operation 901, operation 903, andoperation 905 may be changed. As another example, according toembodiments, operation 901, operation 903, and operation 905 may besimultaneously performed.

In operation 907, in response to identifying that the monitoreddirection corresponds to one of the multiple reference directions, theat least one processor 210 may display a preview image, acquired throughthe at least one camera 150, in the first area. For example, the atleast one processor 210 may identify whether the electronic device 100is in the state 710 by performing operations 901 to 905, and, on thebasis of the identification, the at least one processor 210 may displaythe preview image in the first area among the entire display area of theflexible display 140.

In operation 909, in response to identifying that the monitoreddirection is different from all of the multiple reference directions,the at least one processor 210 may display a preview image, acquiredthrough the at least one camera 150, in the second area. For example,the at least one processor 210 may identify whether the electronicdevice 100 is in the state 730 by performing operations 901 to 905, and,on the basis of the identification, the at least one processor 210 maydisplay the preview image in the second area among the entire displayarea of the flexible display 140.

As described above, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may adaptively change the area in which the preview image isdisplayed on the basis of the direction of the at least one camera 150and the orientation of the electronic device 100, so that the user iscapable of performing photography in a more comfortable posture. Theelectronic device 100 according to various embodiments may provide animage having higher quality since it is possible to provide a morecomfortable photographing experience.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat is performed while a preview image is being displayed in a firstarea according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Such an operation maybe performed by the electronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, theelectronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 2, or the at least oneprocessor 210 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Operations 1001 to 1007 of FIG. 10 may be related to operation 605 ofFIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 10, in operation 1001, the at least one processor 210may display a preview image, acquired through the at least one camera150, in the first area.

In operation 1003, while the preview image is being displayed in thefirst area, the at least one processor 210 may display multiple iconsfor photographing in the second area. For example, referring to FIG. 8,the multiple icons may include a capture icon 801, a recording icon 802,a camera switch icon 803, a flash icon 804, a timer icon 805, a filteroption icon 806, a magnification adjustment icon 807, or at least onethumbnail image 808. The multiple icons may be displayed in response todisplaying the preview image in the first area.

In operation 1005, the at least one processor 210 may receive an inputfor selecting one of the multiple icons. In various embodiments, theinput may include one of a touch input, a voice input, or a gestureinput.

In operation 1007, the at least one processor 210 may provide at leastone function corresponding to the selected item.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a function provided on the basis of aninput with respect to icons displayed in a second area according to anembodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11, the at least one processor 210 may display thepreview image in the first area, and may receive an input 1110 for thecapture icon 801 while the multiple icons are displayed in the secondarea. In response to reception of the input 1110, the at least oneprocessor 210 may acquire an image for the preview image, which is beingdisplayed in the first area. In response to obtaining the image, the atleast one processor 210 may add a thumbnail image for representing theacquired image to the at least one thumbnail image 808, which is beingdisplayed in the second area. In various embodiments, at least some ofone or more thumbnail images 808 may disappear due to the addition ofthe thumbnail image.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example of a function provided on the basisof an input with respect to icons displayed in a second area accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12, the at least one processor 210 may display thepreview image in the first area, and may receive an input 1210 for thetimer icon 805 while the multiple icons are displayed in the secondarea. The at least one processor 210 may display the multiple items 1220in response to reception of the input 1210. The multiple items 1220 maybe used to set a time until automatic photographing is performed afterreceiving a photographing input. In some embodiments, the multiple items1220 may be superimposed on at least some of the multiple icons.

FIG. 13 illustrates still another example of a function provided on thebasis of an input with respect to icons displayed in a second areaaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 13, the at least one processor 210 may display thepreview image in the first area, and may receive an input 1310 for thefilter option icon 806 while the multiple icons are displayed in thesecond area. The at least one processor 210 may display other multiplepreview images 1320, which are distinct from the preview image, which isbeing displayed in the first area, in response to reception of the input1310. A preview image 1330 for displaying an image, to which a filtereffect is not applied among the other multiple preview images 1320, maybe highlighted relative to the remaining preview images among the otherpreview images 1320 after receiving the input 1310. The at least oneprocessor 210 may receive an input 1340 for selecting a preview imagedifferent from the preview image 1330 among the other multiple previewimages 1320 during the display of the preview image 1330 in ahighlighted form. In response to reception of the input 1340, the atleast one processor 210 may display a preview image 1350 selected by theinput 1340 as being highlighted relative to the remaining ones of themultiple preview images 1320. In response to reception of the input1340, the at least one processor 210 may display a preview image 1360,corresponding to the preview image selected by the input 1340, in thefirst area.

FIG. 14 illustrates another example of a function provided on the basisof an input with respect to icons displayed in a second area accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 14, the at least one processor 210 may display thepreview image in the first area, and may receive an input 1410 for therecording icon 802 while the multiple icons are displayed in the secondarea. In response to reception of the input 1410, the at least oneprocessor 210 may change the state of the capture icon 801 to the stateof indicating that recording of a video image is performed. In responseto reception of the input 1410, the at least one processor 210 maychange the state of the recording icon 802 to the state of indicating apause function. The at least one processor 210 may initiate capturing ofa video image in response to reception of the input 1410.

FIG. 15 illustrates another example of a function provided on the basisof an input with respect to icons displayed in a second area accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15, the at least one processor 210 may display thepreview image in the first area, and may receive an input 1510 for themagnification adjustment icon 807 while the multiple icons are displayedin the second area. In response to reception of the input 1510, the atleast one processor 210 may change the magnification of the previewimage, which is being displayed in the first area, to the magnificationadjusted by the input 1510. In response to reception of the input 1510,the at least one processor 210 may change the state of the magnificationadjustment icon 807 to the state of indicating the changedmagnification.

FIGS. 10 to 15 illustrate an embodiment in which a preview image isdisplayed in the first area and the multiple icons are displayed in thesecond area. It shall be noted that the operations of the electronicdevice 100 described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 15 may also beapplied to an embodiment in which a preview image is displayed in thesecond area and the multiple icons are displayed in the first area.

As described above, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may provide options for photographing in an area, which isdistinct from an area in which a preview image is displayed, so that thepreview image is not obscured by the user's finger or the like even ifthe options for photographing are selected. In other words, theelectronic device 100 according to various embodiments is capable ofproviding an enhanced user experience while the photographing isperformed.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat displays a preview image using a display disposed on a second faceof a first housing according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Such anoperation may be performed by the electronic device 100 illustrated inFIG. 1, the electronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 2, or the at leastone processor 210 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 16, in operation 1601, the at least one processor 210may execute the camera application. For example, the at least oneprocessor 210 may execute the camera application on the basis of userinput or input received from an external device.

In operation 1603, the at least one processor 210 may identify whetherthe angle between the first housing 110 and the second housing 120 isout of the specified range. For example, the at least one processor 210may recognize that the electronic device 100 is in the first state onthe basis of identifying that the angle between the first housing 110and the second housing 120 is out of the specified range.

In operation 1605, the at least one processor 210 may identify whetherto detect a face from an image acquired through the at least one camera150 on the basis of the identification. When detecting a face from theimage acquired through the at least one camera 150, the at least oneprocessor 210 may perform operations 1607 and 1609. Unlike this, when noface is detected in the image acquired through the at least one camera150, the at least one processor 210 may perform operation 1611.

In operation 1607, the at least one processor 210 may activate thedisplay 160 disposed on the second face of the first housing 110 on thebasis of identifying that a face is detected in the image acquiredthrough the at least one camera 150. When the display 160 has alreadybeen activated when identifying that a face is detected in the imageacquired through the at least one camera 150, operation 1607 may beskipped or bypassed.

In operation 1609, the at least one processor 210 may display a previewimage for an image acquired through the at least one camera 150 usingthe activated display 160. The electronic device 100 according tovarious embodiments may provide a preview image within a field of viewof a user, who captures a selfie using the at least one camera 150(e.g., the rear camera) having higher quality, by displaying the previewimage through the display 160. In other words, in order to provide anenhanced user experience to the user who captures a selfie using the atleast one camera 150, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may display the preview image using the display 160, whichis distinct from the flexible display 140. In order to allow anotheruser who is different from the user who performs the photographing usingthe electronic device 100 (i.e., the subject of the image to beacquired) to check the composition of the image to be acquired, theelectronic device 100 according to various embodiments may display apreview image, acquired through the at least one camera 150, through thedisplay 160. In other words, in order to provide an enhanced userexperience to the other user who is to be included in an image acquiredusing the at least one camera 150, the electronic device 100 accordingto various embodiments may display the preview image using the display160, which is distinct from the flexible display 140.

In operation 1611, the at least one processor 210 may maintain the stateof the display 160 disposed on the second face of the first housing 110in the inactive state on the basis of identifying that no face isdetected in the image acquired through the at least one camera 150. Invarious embodiments, when the display 160 is in the active state, the atleast one processor 210 may switch the state of the display 160 disposedon the second face of the first housing 110 into the inactive state onthe basis of identifying that no face is detected in the image acquiredthrough the at least one camera 150. According to various embodiments,it is possible to reduce the power consumed by the electronic device 100making the display 160 of the electronic device 100 remain in theinactive state.

FIG. 17 illustrates another example of an operation of an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Such an operationmay be performed by the electronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, theelectronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 2, or the at least oneprocessor 210 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 17, in operation 1701, the at least one processor 210may display a preview image, acquired through the at least one camera150, in the second area. For example, the at least one processor 210 mayrecognize that the at least one camera 150 is directed forward using atleast one of the first sensor 230 and the second sensor 240. On thebasis of the recognition, the at least one processor 210 may display apreview image, acquired through the at least one camera 150, in thesecond area.

In operation 1703, the at least one processor 210 may identify whetherthe direction in which the at least one camera 150 is pointed is changedwhile the preview image is being displayed in the second area. Forexample, while the preview image is being displayed in the second area,the at least one processor 210 may identify that the direction in whichthe at least one camera 150 is pointed is changed from a firstdirection, which is different from the multiple reference directions, toa second direction, which corresponds to one of the multiple referencedirections. In other words, the at least one processor 210 may recognizethat the at least one camera 150 is facing the ground when the directionin which the at least one camera 150 is pointed changes.

In operation 1705, on the basis of the identification, the at least oneprocessor 210 may move the preview image from the second region to thefirst region. For example, the at least one processor 210 may move thepreview image from the second area to the first area by recognizing thatthe state of the electronic device 100 is changed to the state 710.

In various embodiments, when it is identified that the direction inwhich the at least one camera 150 is pointed is changed in the state inwhich the orientation of electronic device 100 is different from themultiple specified orientations, the at least one processor 210 maymaintain the preview image in the first area independently fromoperation 1705. In other words, when the electronic device 100 is inanother state distinct from the state 710, the at least one processor210 may maintain the preview image in the first area by not performingoperation 1705.

As described above, in the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments, when the direction in which the at least one camera 150 ispointed is changed according to a change in the orientation of theelectronic device 100, the area in which a preview image is displayedmay be changed. The electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may provide an enhanced user experience by changing the areain which the preview image is displayed.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of an operation of an electronic devicethat acquires an image after moving a preview image to a first areaaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure. Such an operation may beperformed by the electronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, theelectronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 2, or the at least oneprocessor 210 illustrated in FIG. 2.

Operations 1801 to 1807 of FIG. 18 may be related to operation 1705 ofFIG. 17.

Referring to FIG. 18, in operation 1801, the at least one processor 210may move the preview image to the first area on the basis of the changein the direction of the at least one camera 150.

In operation 1803, the at least one processor 210 may display thecapture icon in the second area based at least on a change in thedirection of the at least one camera 150 or the movement of the previewimage to the first area. While the preview image is being displayed inthe first area, the user may grip the second housing 120 instead of thefirst housing 110 corresponding to the first area. Thus, the at leastone processor 210 may display the capture icon in the second areacorresponding to the second housing 120 gripped by the user.

In operation 1805, in response to reception of input for the captureicon, the at least one processor 210 may acquire the image for thepreview image. The acquired image may be stored in the memory 220.

In operation 1807, on the basis of the acquisition of the image, the atleast one processor 210 may display a thumbnail image for representingthe acquired image, in the second area. For example, the thumbnail imagemay be displayed in the second area together with the capture icon.

As described above, the electronic device 100 according to variousembodiments may provide a capture icon in an area, which is distinctfrom the area in which the preview image is displayed. By providing thecapture icon, the electronic device 100 according to various embodimentsis able to prevent photographing from being performed in the state inwhich a preview image is obscured by the user's finger or the like.

A method of operating an electronic device including a flexible displayextending across a first housing and a second housing as described abovemay include: determining an orientation of the electronic device and adirection in which at least one camera, which is exposed through atleast a portion of the first housing of the electronic device, ispointed during the execution of a camera application; identifying atleast one of the first area corresponding to the first housing and thesecond area corresponding to the second housing as an area in which apreview image acquired through the at least one camera is displayedbased at least on the determined direction and the determinedorientation; and displaying the preview image in the identified area.

In various embodiments, the displaying the preview image may include;identifying a direction of the at least one camera relative to a groundbased on the determined direction and the determined orientation;displaying a preview image, acquired in the first area using theflexible display based on identifying that the direction of the at leastone camera relative to the ground corresponds to a first direction; anddisplaying the preview image, acquired through the at least one camera,in the second area using the flexible display based on identifying thatthe direction of the at least one camera relative to the groundcorresponds to a second direction, which is distinct from the firstdirection. In various embodiments, the method may further includedisplaying a capture icon for acquiring an image for the preview image,in the second area using the flexible display while the preview image isbeing displayed in the first area, and acquiring the image in responseto reception of input for the capture icon. In various embodiments, themethod may further include displaying a thumbnail image for representingthe image in the second area using the flexible display in response toacquisition of the image. In various embodiments, the method may furtherinclude displaying at least one of: at least one first icon forselecting a type of the image, at least one second icon for selecting aneffect to be applied to the image, or at least one third icon foradjusting the magnification of the image, together with the capture iconusing the flexible display. For example, the at least one second iconmay include a filter option icon for selecting an image filter to beapplied to the image, and the method may further include: receiving aninput for the filter option icon while the preview image is beingdisplayed in the first area; displaying other multiple preview images,which are distinct from the preview image displayed in the first area,in the second area using the flexible display in response to receptionof the input for the filter option icon, each of the other multiplepreview images being acquired based on applying a corresponding filtereffect to the image; and displaying the selected preview image, which isbeing displayed in the second area, in a highlighted form using theflexible display and changing the preview image, which is beingdisplayed in the first area, to the selected preview image in responseto reception of input for selecting one preview image among the othermultiple preview images.

In various embodiments, the first direction may be substantiallyperpendicular to the second direction.

In various embodiments, the displaying the preview image includes;identifying the angle between the first housing and the second housing,which is detected using the at least one sensor; and indicating at leastone of the first area and the second area as an area in which a previewimage acquired through the at least one camera is displayed based atleast on each of the determined direction and the determinedorientation. In various embodiments, the determined orientation maycorrespond to an orientation for acquiring an image for a landscape.

A method of operating an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device100) according to various embodiments described above may include:monitoring a direction in which at least one camera (e.g., the at leastone camera 150) exposed through at least a portion of the first housing(e.g., the second housing 120) of the electronic device is pointedduring the execution of a camera application; and displaying a previewimage, acquired through the at least one camera, in a display areacorresponding to the second housing (e.g., the first housing 110) of theelectronic device, which is distinct from the first housing, among theentire display area of the flexible display of the electronic device onthe basis of identifying that the monitored direction corresponds to oneof the multiple reference directions.

In various embodiments, the method may further include displaying thepreview image, acquired through the at least one camera, in the secondarea using the flexible display on the basis of identifying that themonitored direction is different from the multiple reference directions.

In various embodiments, the method may further include: displaying acapture icon for acquiring an image for the preview image, in the secondarea using the flexible display while the preview image is beingdisplayed in the first area; and acquiring the image in response toreception of input for the capture icon. In various embodiments, themethod may further include displaying a thumbnail image for representingthe image in the second area using the flexible display in response toacquisition of the image. In various embodiments, the method may furtherinclude displaying at least one of: at least one first icon forselecting a type of the image, at least one second icon for selecting aneffect to be applied to the image, or at least one third icon foradjusting the magnification of the image, together with the capture iconusing the flexible display. For example, the at least one second iconmay include a filter option icon for selecting an image filter to beapplied to the image, and the method may further include: receiving aninput for the filter option icon while the preview image is beingdisplayed in the first area; displaying other multiple preview images,which are distinct from the preview image displayed in the first area,in the second area using the flexible display in response to receptionof the input for the filter option icon; and displaying the selectedpreview image, which is being displayed in the second area, in ahighlighted form using the flexible display and changing the previewimage, which is being displayed in the first area, to the selectedpreview image in response to reception of input for selecting onepreview image among the other multiple preview images, wherein each ofthe multiple other preview images may be acquired on the basis ofapplying a corresponding effect to the image.

In various embodiments, the identifying that the monitored directioncorresponds to one of the multiple reference directions may includeidentifying that the monitored direction corresponds to one of themultiple reference directions by identifying that the angle between themonitored direction and the reference direction is within a referencerange.

In various embodiments, the displaying the preview image in the firstarea may include: identifying whether the angle between the firsthousing and the second housing, which is detected using the at least onesensor included in the folding part of the electronic device, is withina specified range; and displaying the preview image, acquired throughthe at least one camera, in the first area using the flexible display onthe basis of identifying that the monitored direction corresponds to oneof the multiple reference directions.

In various embodiments, the monitoring the direction may includemonitoring the direction in which the at least one camera is pointedusing the at least one sensor of the electronic device, the displayingthe preview image in the first area may include identifying whether theorientation of the electronic device, which is detected using the atleast one sensor, corresponds to one of the multiple specifiedorientations; and displaying the preview image, acquired through the atleast one camera, in the first area using the flexible display on thebasis of identifying that the monitored direction corresponds to one ofthe multiple reference directions. In various embodiments, each of themultiple specified orientations may correspond to an orientation foracquiring an image for a landscape. In various embodiments, the at leastone sensor may include at least one of a gyro sensor, a geomagneticsensor, or an infrared sensor.

In various embodiments, the method may further include: detecting a facefrom an image acquired through the at least one camera; and displaying apreview image for the image, acquired through the at least one camerausing a display, which is distinct from the flexible display, on thebasis of identifying that the orientation of the electronic device,which is detected through the at least one sensor, is different from themultiple specified orientations.

A method of operating an electronic device according to variousembodiments described above may include: identifying whether a directionin which at least one camera exposed through at least a portion of thefirst housing of the electronic device is pointed is changed while apreview image, acquired through the at least one camera, is displayed inan area corresponding to the first housing among the total area of aflexible display of the electronic device; and moving the preview imagefrom the area corresponding to the first housing to an areacorresponding to the second housing of the electronic device, which isdistinct from the first housing, among the entire display area of theflexible display in response to an identification result.

In various embodiments, the moving the preview image to the first areamay include identifying whether the direction in which the at least onecamera is pointed is changed in the state in which the angle between thefirst housing and the second housing is within a specified range whilethe preview image is being displayed in the second area using theflexible display is changed; and moving the preview image from thesecond area to the first area using the flexible display in response toan identification result. In various embodiments, the preview image maybe maintained in the first area when it is identified that the directionin which the at least one camera is pointed is changed in the state inwhich the angle between the first housing and the second housing is outof the specified range.

In various embodiments, the moving the preview image to the first areamay including: identifying whether the direction in which the at leastone camera is pointed is changed from a first direction, which isdifferent from the multiple reference directions to a second direction,which corresponds to one of the multiple reference directions while thepreview image is being displayed in the second area using the flexibledisplay; and moving the preview image from the second area to the firstarea using the flexible display in response to an identification result.

In various embodiments, the method may further include: displaying acapture icon for acquiring an image for the preview image, in the secondarea in response to moving the preview image to the first area; andacquiring the image in response to reception of input for the captureicon.

In various embodiments, the moving the preview image to the first areamay include identifying whether the direction in which the at least onecamera is pointed is changed in the state in which the orientation ofthe electronic device corresponds to one of the multiple specifiedorientations; and moving the preview image from the second area to thefirst area using the flexible display in response to an identificationresult. In various embodiments, the preview image may be maintained inthe first area when it is identified that the direction in which the atleast one camera is pointed is changed in the state in which theorientation of the electronic device is different from the multiplespecified orientations.

In various embodiments, the method may further include displayingmultiple items for photographing in the second area after the previewimage is moved to the first area.

Methods stated in claims and/or specifications according to variousembodiments may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combinationof hardware and software.

When the methods are implemented by software, a computer-readablestorage medium for storing one or more programs (software modules) maybe provided. The one or more programs stored in the computer-readablestorage medium may be configured for execution by one or more processorswithin the electronic device. The at least one program may includeinstructions that cause the electronic device to perform the methodsaccording to various embodiments of the disclosure as defined by theappended claims and/or disclosed herein.

The programs (software modules or software) may be stored innon-volatile memories including a random access memory and a flashmemory, a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead Only Memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disc storage device, a CompactDisc-ROM (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs), or other type opticalstorage devices, or a magnetic cassette. Alternatively, any combinationof some or all of them may form a memory in which the program is stored.Further, a plurality of such memories may be included in the electronicdevice.

In addition, the programs may be stored in an attachable storage devicewhich is accessible through communication networks such as the Internet,Intranet, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), and StorageArea Network (SAN), or a combination thereof. Such a storage device mayaccess the electronic device via an external port. Further, a separatestorage device on the communication network may access a portableelectronic device.

In the above-described detailed embodiments of the disclosure, acomponent included in the disclosure is expressed in the singular or theplural according to a presented detailed embodiment. However, thesingular form or plural form is selected for convenience of descriptionsuitable for the presented situation, and various embodiments of thedisclosure are not limited to a single element or multiple elementsthereof. Further, either multiple elements expressed in the descriptionmay be configured into a single element or a single element in thedescription may be configured into multiple elements.

While the disclosure has been shown and described with reference tovarious embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a first housingincluding a first face and a second face, the second face being a rearside of the first face; a second housing including a third face and afourth face, the fourth face being a rear side of the third face; afolding part rotatably connecting the first housing and the secondhousing to each other; a flexible display disposed on the first face andthe third face across the folding part and including a first areacorresponding to the first face and a second area corresponding to thethird face; at least one camera exposed through at least a portion ofthe fourth face; at least one memory configured to store instructions;and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor isconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: execute a cameraapplication based on a user input, determine a folded state of theelectronic device and a direction of the at least one camera while thecamera application is executed, identify at least one of the first areaor the second area as a preview area in which a preview image acquiredthrough the at least one camera is displayed, based on at least one ofthe determined folded state and the determined direction, and displaythe preview image, acquired through the at least one camera, in theidentified preview area using the flexible display.
 2. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: identify thedirection of the at least one camera based on an angle between the atleast one camera and a ground, display a preview image, acquired throughthe at least one camera, in the first area using the flexible displaybased on identifying that the direction of the at least one cameracorresponds to a first direction, and display the preview image,acquired through the at least one camera, in the second area using theflexible display based on identifying that the direction of the at leastone camera corresponds to a second direction, which is distinct from thefirst direction.
 3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the atleast one processor is further configured, when the instructions areexecuted, to: display a capture icon for acquiring an image for thepreview image in the second area using the flexible display while thepreview image is being displayed in the first area, and acquire theimage in response to reception of input for the capture icon.
 4. Theelectronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured, when the instructions are executed, to: display athumbnail image for representing the image in the second area using theflexible display in response to acquisition of the image.
 5. Theelectronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured, when the instructions are executed, to: display atleast one of: at least one first icon for selecting a type of the image,at least one second icon for selecting an effect to be applied to theimage, or at least one third icon for adjusting a magnification of theimage, together with the capture icon using the flexible display.
 6. Theelectronic device of claim 5, wherein the at least one second iconincludes a filter option icon for selecting an image filter to beapplied to the image, and wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: receive an input forthe filter option icon while the preview image is being displayed in thefirst area, display other multiple preview images, which are distinctfrom the preview image displayed in the first area, in the second areausing the flexible display in response to reception of the input for thefilter option icon, each of the other multiple preview images beingacquired based on applying a corresponding filter effect to the image,and display the selected preview image, which is being displayed in thesecond area, in a highlighted form using the flexible display and changethe preview image, which is being displayed in the first area, to theselected preview image in response to reception of input for selectingone preview image among the other multiple preview images.
 7. Theelectronic device of claim 2, wherein the first direction issubstantially perpendicular to the second direction.
 8. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the folding part includes a first sensorconfigured to acquire information on an angle between the first housingand the second housing, and wherein the at least one processor isfurther configured, when the instructions are executed, to: identify theangle between the first housing and the second housing, which isdetected using the first sensor, and identify at least one of the firstarea or the second area as a preview area in which a preview imageacquired through the at least one camera is displayed based at least oneach of the determined folded state and the determined direction.
 9. Theelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a second sensor to beused for detecting the direction of the at least one camera of theelectronic device, and wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured, when the instructions are executed, to: determine thedirection of the at least one camera using the second sensor.
 10. Theelectronic device of claim 9, wherein the determined directioncorresponds to a direction for acquiring an image for a landscape.
 11. Amethod of operating an electronic device including a flexible displayextending across a first housing and a second housing, the methodcomprising: executing a camera application based on a user input;determining a folded state of the electronic device and a direction ofat least one camera, which is exposed through at least a portion of thefirst housing of the electronic device, while the execution of thecamera application; identifying at least one of a first areacorresponding to the first housing or a second area corresponding to thesecond housing as a preview area in which a preview image acquiredthrough the at least one camera is displayed, based on at least one ofthe determined folded state and the determined direction; and displayingthe preview image, acquired through the at least one camera, in theidentified preview area.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thedisplaying of the preview image includes: identifying the direction ofthe at least one camera based on the an angle between the at least onecamera and a ground; displaying a preview image, acquired through the atleast one camera, in the first area using the flexible display based onidentifying that the direction of the at least one camera corresponds toa first direction; and displaying the preview image, acquired throughthe at least one camera, in the second area using the flexible displaybased on identifying that the direction of the at least one cameracorresponds to a second direction, which is distinct from the firstdirection.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: displaying acapture icon for acquiring an image for the preview image in the secondarea using the flexible display while the preview image is beingdisplayed in the first area; acquiring the image in response toreception of input for the capture icon; and displaying at least one of:at least one first icon for selecting a type of the image, at least onesecond icon for selecting an effect to be applied to the image, or atleast one third icon for adjusting a magnification of the image,together with the capture icon using the flexible display.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the at least one second icon includes afilter option icon for selecting an image filter to be applied to theimage, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving an input forthe filter option icon while the preview image is being displayed in thefirst area; displaying other multiple preview images, which are distinctfrom the preview image displayed in the first area, in the second areausing the flexible display in response to reception of the input for thefilter option icon, each of the other multiple preview images beingacquired based on applying a corresponding filter effect to the image;and displaying the selected preview image, which is being displayed inthe second area, in a highlighted form using the flexible display andchanging the preview image, which is being displayed in the first area,to the selected preview image in response to reception of input forselecting one preview image among the other multiple preview images. 15.The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying of the preview imageincludes: identifying the angle between the first housing and the secondhousing, which is detected using at least one sensor; and identifying atleast one of the first area or the second area as a preview area inwhich a preview image acquired through the at least one camera isdisplayed based at least on each of the determined folded state and thedetermined direction.